Tannehill threw with teammates at the Dolphins' facility last week, getting extra reps to build timing and working on nonverbal communication in an up-tempo offense that features a lot of different sets and signals.

"He's been awesome," said tight end Dustin Keller, another key acquisition in the Dolphins' free-agent spending spree. "He has such a firm grasp on this offense, especially for a second-year player. I know he's been in this offense for a little while. But he has a great feel for the guys that are around him, his protection, stepping up and finding where the spot is in the pocket."

Said defensive end Cameron Wake, "He's more confident. He's more poised, even moreso than he was last year. That's what you want from a quarterback. You want a guy who's out there, who's confident, who knows what he's doing, who has the trust from the other guys around him, the faith, and out there delivering the ball.

"From one of the guys out there chasing him around, trying to make his day hard, I can definitely see it. He's a guy who's come into his own."

Tannehill's quick to say he's not there yet, as the tape from last season shows. He knows it when he looks at, for instance, the way his shoulders get turned square to the field instead of staying perpendicular as he moves left in the pocket.

Philbin's offensive philosophy revolves around giving his quarterback as many options as possible, and the addition of a vertical speed threat such as Wallace has the potential to open up more routes underneath.

It's up to Tannehill to find the open man — and set his feet.

"As long as you have a guy who's going to be the leader of the team that wants to be great and wants to get better every single day, you're going in the right direction," Wallace said.